1. Technical Field
The present disclosure relates to a spool holder including a spool holder base to which a plurality of thread spools is attachable and a sewing machine provided with the spool holder.
2. Related Art
Threads drawn from a plurality of thread spools on a spool holder base respectively are guided by a thread guide mechanism at a location higher than the thread spools in conventional sewing machines provided with a spool holder of the aforementioned type. The threads guided by the thread guide mechanism are passed through respective predetermined thread supply paths in the sewing machine. The threads along the thread supply paths are routed through thread tensioners, thread take-up levers and the like, being supplied to needles, respectively.
The spool holder of the above-described type is disposed, for example, above an arm of the sewing machine and constructed as follows. The spool holder includes a spool holder base which is formed into a horizontally long rectangular shape in a planar view. Five thread spools are placed on the front of the spool holder base so as to be arranged right and left, and four thread spools are placed on the rear of the spool holder base so as to be arranged right and left. Thus, a relatively larger number of thread spools can be placed on the spool holder base. However, the spool holder base juts right and left to a large extent. As a result, there is a problem that the spool holder base occupies a large space when the number of thread colors in the sewing of an embroidery pattern is less than 9 or when the sewing machine is kept in a storage space.
Another type of spool holder has been provided which includes a pair of spool holder bases mounted via a pair of pivot shafts on a support base. Three thread spools are placed on each spool holder base. The paired spool holder bases are switched by the pivot shafts between a use position where the rears of the spool holder bases are spread into a V-shape in a planar view and a storage position where the spool holder bases are closed so as to be substantially in parallel with each other. Since the spool holder bases take the V-shape at the use position, the spool holder can overcome the aforementioned problem of the storage space with the right-left dimension being reduced.
However, the thread spools are arranged in parallel or in the V-shape in the front-rear direction when the spool holder bases are located at the storage position or the use position. Accordingly, the user reaches his or her arm in the back of each spool holder to attach and detach the thread spool, for example, when the thread spools located in the back of each spool holder base are to be replaced. As a result, when each spool holder base is constructed so that a larger number of thread spools, for example, four or more thread spools can be placed thereon, the user located in the front side of the sewing machine has a great difficulty in the replacement of thread spools located in the back of each spool holder base. This results in an adverse effect on the working efficiency.